1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to thermally processing thin films in general, and, in particular, to a method for drying thin films by using light pulses from a flashlamp.
2. Description of Related Art
When it comes to choosing substrates for supporting thin films, it is generally more preferable to employ inexpensive substrates, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, cellulose, etc., over expensive substrates, such as silicones, fluorocarbons, ceramic, glass, etc., due to cost reasons. However, inexpensive substrates tend to have lower maximum working temperatures than their expensive counterparts such that only relatively low temperatures can be utilized to dry thin films located on inexpensive substrates.
According to the Arrhenius equation, thermally driven processes, such as drying (i.e., driving off solvent), particle sintering, densification, chemical reaction initiation, chemical reaction modulation, phase transformation, grain growth, annealing, heat treating, etc., are related to the processing temperature in an exponential fashion. Hence, a small reduction in the drying temperature will require a significantly longer drying time and more energy, which translates to a more costly drying operation.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved process for thermally processing thin films located on inexpensive substrates without extending the processing time.